Irregularity detecting apparatus for web and strand material



Aprll 28, 1953 v FAHRINGER 2,636,952

IRREGULARITY DETECTING APPARATUS FOR WEB AND STRAND MATERIAL Filed April 19, 1950 2 SHEETS-SHEET l IA/SULAT V/cmp T/Sfl/R/A/GEQ IN VENTOR ATTORNEY 2 5 2 m 6 EJ {mm 3 w mo w 6 .7 GT E MN N 2 s E R W. O E r owm S S 6 U V T L RA m RW E M Gm 4 s mum m m m 6 RC m k HE c n 0 A m 5 W Illa F a A Y Y TW B 5 IP LW 0 a H U G 1. HF R T April 28, 1953 Filed April 19 Patented Apr. 28, 1953 IRREGULAR-ITY DETECTING APPARATUS FOR WEB AND STRAND MATERIAL Victor T. Fahringer, Clarksville, Va., assignor to Robbins Mills, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 19, 1950, Serial No. 156,863

9 Claims. 1

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for detecting irregularities in web and strand material and its primary object is to provide a web support over which the web material is adapted to pass and disposed above the web support is a swingable ring support, the web support having means thereon for holding the ring support in a predetermined spaced relation to the web support. A plurality of rings loosely encircle the second shaft and contact bars, insulatably secured to the web support, are also disposed within the confines of the rings and are positioned in such a manner that the web material passing over the web support will hold the rings in an elevated position, and, upon a thin place in the Web material or upon breakage thereof, the rings or one of the rings will move downwardly and its inner surface will engage one of the contact members to complete a circuit to a suitable electrical apparatus.

On the other hand, the apparatus is so constructed that a thick place in the web material, which may be caused by a knot or other irregularity in a fabric material or fibre strand upon passing over the web support, will cause any of the rings disposed in its path to be elevated above their normal elevated position so the inner surface thereof will also engage one of the contact bars on the ring support to complete a circuit between the contact bar and the ring support for actuating an electrical apparatus such as an electrical stop motion.

It is another object of this invention to provide, in an apparatus of the type described, means adjustably securing one of the contact bars to the ring support so the contact bar is adjustable about the axis of the ring support, the other of the contact bars being fixed on the ring support and means for adjusting the ring support about its axis s the contact bars will be circularly adjustable relative to each other and relative to the web support.

This application is a continuation in part of my co-pending application entitled Apparatus and Method for Detecting Irregularities in Web and Strand Material, filed December 2, 1949, Serial Number 130,812.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of the improved apparatus with the central portion thereof broken away;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line L4 in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view through the swingable ring support and taken substantially along the line 33 in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional plan view taken substantially along the line 44 in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a schematic view showing a portion of the detecting apparatus with the contact bars thereof shown out of position for purposes of illustration and showing an electrical apparatus connected thereto, the view of the contact bars being taken substantially along the line 55 in Figure 2.

Referring more specifically to the drawings, the numeral It indicates a base member of the improved irregularity detecting or inspecting apparatus and which may be suitably secured to a platform ll, this platform ll being a representation of any type of machine through which web or strand material passes as it is processed, such as wire or sheet metal rolling machines or textile machines including spinning frames, twister frames, looms, winders and the like.

The base it is shown in the form of a channel bar, to opposed ends of which the lower ends of standards or brackets are suitably secured, as by welding. It is to be understood that the base l0 and the standards [3 and M, although they are shown in the form of channel bars, may vary in structure according to the requirements of the machine with which the detecting apparatus is adapted to be used.

A web support in the form of a first tubular shaft 2!] is fixedly mounted between the standards l3 and I4, opposed ends of the tubular shaft 26 being closed by closure members 24 and 2i. These closure members 2| and 2 l have restricted threaded portions 22 and 22 extending therefrom and slidably penetrating the standards it and [d and being secured therein by suitable nuts 23 and 23 threadably mounted on the restricted threaded portions 22 and 22, respectively, of the closure members 2i and 2|. The web support shaft may be of solid construction rather than tubular if desired, the shaft 20 being tubular to minimize the weight of the structure.

A sheet of Web or strand material W is adapted to pass over this web support 2!} as it extends from one process to another on a single machine or between a plurality of machines. This web material W may include any type of web or strand material, such as yarn, roving, fabric, sheet metal, wire and the like, wherein it is desired to detect the occurrence of irregularities in the web ma terial between or during various processing operations and in the course of which it may be desired to actuate an electrical apparatus such as a 3 stop motion for the particular machine from or to which the web material W extends.

A pair of spaced eccentric collars 2t and 28 are adjustably secured, as by respective set screws 2'! and 2'5 on the web support 2!) and a second shaft or ring support 30, which is also shown in the form of a tubular shaft, is swingably mounted so as to rest against the exterior of the eccentric collars 26 and 2'5 in a desired adjusted position, the eccentric collars 2t and 26 being adjusted around the shaft or web support in order to hold the ring support 33 in proper spaced relation to the websupport 26. The ring support 30 may be made of a solid shaft and is shown as a tubular shaft to also minimize the weight of the structure.

Opposed ends of the tubular ring support shaft 38 are closed by closure members 3i and 3! and since these closure members 3i and and the associated structure is identical, only the closure member 3! at the right-hand side of Figures 1 and 4 will be described and like parts associated with the closure member 3 i will bear like reference characters to those parts associated with the closure member 3! with the prime notation added.

The closure member 3! has a restricted annular portion 32 integral therewith which bears against and in sliding engagement with the inner surface of a hanger or swing arm 33. The closure member 3! also has a restricted portion 34 which slidably .penetrates the lower portion of the swing arm 33 and the closure member 3! is held in fixed relation to the swing arm 33 by a nut 35 threadably mounted on the outer end of the restricted portion 34 of the closure member 3!. At least one end of the ring support 33 has graduations 36 thereon and the associated swing arm 33 or 33' has one end of an indicating pointer 3'! fixedly secured therein, as by a set screw 2-8 (Figure 1).

Although a single pointer 31 is shown in the drawings, it is evident that one of these pointers 3? may be associated with both of the arms 33 and 33 and the free end thereof is adapted to register with the graduations 36 in the associated end of the ring support 3i These graduations are provided as a reference for the operator in determining the clearance between a pair of contact bars to be presently described and metallic detecting rings, a plurality of which are shown in Figure l and are indicated at lil. These detectin rings (H loosely surround the ring support 30 and are prevented from having excessive end-wise movement on the ring support by a pair of spaced eccentric disks 42 and 42 adjustably secured on the ring support as by set screws 43 and 43'.

In order to adjust the ring support 36 about its axis, the outer ends of the closure members 3! and 3 i are provided with restricted polygonallyshaped portions it and 44', respectively, for reception of a suitable wrench or the like so that the nuts 35 and 35 may be loosened and then the ring support 33 may be partially rotated to provid the desired clearance between the internal periphery of the metallic detecting rings 4! and a pair of spaced metallic contact bars 45 and 46 (Figure 2) which are secured, in a manner to be presently described, to the exterior of the ring support 38. It is evident that the nuts 35 and 35' tightened against the swing arms 33 and 33' upon the ring support 39 having been adjusted to the desired position.

The swing arms 33 and 33 are oscillatably mounted at their upper ends, in Figures 1 and 2, on restricted portions Q'l' and l? of swing arm support studs 5i! and 55, respectively. In order that the swing arms 33 and 33' may have free swinging movement on the restricted portions 6'! and a?" of the swing arm support studs 50 and 53, the inner ends of the studs 5% and 50 have restricted threaded portions 5! and 5!, respectively, on which suitable nuts 52 and 58 are threadably mounted and which bear against the shoulders formed by the restricted portions 4! and il. The outermost or remote ends of the studs 53 and 55 have restricted portions 53 and 53 integral therewith which slidably penetrate the standards l3 and id and on which nuts 54 and 5d are threadably mounted for securing the studs to the standards i3 and M.

The contact bars 45 and 33 must be insulatably secured to the ring support 353 and, therefore, the ring support 39 is provided with a longitudinal-ly extending groove ti cut in the outer periphery thereof in which an insulation bar BI is secured, as by countersunk screws 62 (Figures 2, 4 and 5), and to the outer surface of which the contact bar 35 is secured as by countersunk screws. The screws 62, which secure the insulation bar iii to the ring support 33, are countersunk below flush so there will not be an electrical conductor between the metallic contact bar 25 and the ring support 38.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, there will be observed a pair of contact bar support members or brackets t t and 5t having respective adjustment slots 65 and 65' therein which are penetrated by respective screws 65 and 66 for adjustably securing the support members 64 and 6d to the ring support 39, the configuration of the lower surfaces of the support members 54 and 6 1 conforming substantially to the configuration of the outer periphery of the ring support 39. The ring support 3%) is provided with graduations 8? and 67' adjacent opposed ends thereof which are substantially the same as the graduations 3E and are disposed closely adjacent the support members 6 2 and 6 Each of the support members 5 and 5 3' has a suitable mark or groove, as at 63, therein for determining the position of the brackets or support members 64 and 68' relative to the ring support 33.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3, it will also be observed that the eccentric disks 42 and 2 are provided with slots or notches 8S and 65) through which opposed end portions of an insulation bar l0 extend, the metallic contact bar d6 being secured to the insulation bar it by any suitable mean such as countersunk screws 1!. The brackets or support members 8% and 54' extend outwardly and opposed ends of the insulation bar It are secured, as by screws '52 (Figure 3), to the forwardly projecting portions of the brackets or supports 64 and 615.

It is thus seen that the brackets 5:3 and 64' may be adjusted about the axis of the ring support 30 so as to increase or decrease the distance between the metallic contact bars 15 and 46 and also, the ring support 30 may be adjusted about its axis by loosening the nuts 35 and 35 so as to attain the desired clearance between the metallic contact bars 45 and G5 and the contact or detect? ing rings 4! while the web material is passing in engagement therewith. It is evident that by adjusting the eccentric collars 26 and 26', the distance from center to center of the web support and the ring support 30 may be increased or decreased and, of course, the position of the metallic contact bars 45 and 46 would then be adjusted to acquire the desired sensitivity in reaction of the detectin rings 4| responsive to variations in the thickness of the web material.

Referring to Figure 5, the insulation bars 51 and and their associated metallic contact bars 45 and 46 are shown 90 degrees apart from each other, one or the other of the insulation bars 6! and it! being shown out of position for purposes of illustration. It will be observed that the insulation bars 6i and H! are provided with suitable passageways and 16, respectively, through which wires 1'! and i3 extend, these wires Ti and 18 being connected to the screws 65 and H disposed nearest the end of the ring support adjacent the standard !3. The closure member 3| has an opening or passageway 82 therethrough through which the wires 11 and 18 extend, the outer ends of these wires being connected to a common terminal 83 shown schematically in Figure 5.

A wire 84 is also connected to the terminal 83 and extends to one side of a suitable source of electrical energy such as a storage battery 85. From the side of the storage battery 85 remote from the wire 84, a wire 85 extends, the end of the wire 85 remote from the battery 85 being connected to an electrical apparatus 8'! shown schematically in Figure 5. There are many types of electrical apparatus which may be actuated by the present apparatus, such as electrical stop motions and many types of indicating and signaling devices which are well known to those familiar with the art and, therefore, a detailed description of the electrical apparatus 8'! is deemed unnecessary.

A wire 90 extends from the side of the electrical apparatus remote from the side to which the wire 81 is connected and is connected, as at 9i, to the restricted portion 34 of the closure member 31 at the right-hand end of the ring support in Figures 1, 4 and 5. It is evident that this wire 98 may be connected to many other points, the purpose of the wire 98 being that of completing a circuit to the ring support 30 whereby, upon any one or more of the rings 4| engaging either or both of the metallic contact bars 45 and 45, current will flow from the storage battery 85 through the wire 84, terminal 83, wire H or 78, through the contact bars 45 or 46 and through the metallic contact ring or rings 4i. Now, since the rings 4| are in engagement with the ring support 36, they will complete a circuit between the contact bar 45 or 48 and the ring support 38. Current will then how from the ring support through the closure 3i, through wire 90 to the electrical apparatus 8? and a circuit will be completed thereto through the wire 88 to the battery 85.

As heretofore stated, the object of this invention is to provide means for detecting irregularities in web or strand material and the eccentric collars 26 and 25' are adjusted about the web support 20 and the metallic contact bars and 46 are adjusted about the axis of the ring support 30 to obtain an optimum sensitivity of the rings 4! in response to irregularities in the web or strand material W.

The web or strand material W moves from left to right as indicated by the arrow in Figure 2, or toward the observer in Figure 1 and, in so doing, may impart rotation to the metallic ring 4!. In any event, upon the occurrence of a thick place, such as a knot or other obstruction, appearing in the web material and moving into engagement with any one or more or the detectin rings 4!,

6. the corresponding detecting rings will be elevated so they will move into engagement with the lower metallic contact bar 45, it being noted in Figure 2 that the metallic detecting rin 4| is normally spaced. substantially from the metallic contact bars 45 and 46.

On the other hand, assuming the web material to be under tension as it is pulled over the web support 29, it is evident that, with proper adjustment of the collars 26 and 26 as well as the metallic contact bars 45 and 46 (Figures 1 and 2) upon a thin place occurring in the web material or upon breakage or severance of the web material W, one or more of the metallic rings 4! may move downwardly, by gravity, to engage the metallic contact bar 46 and in the event of one of the detecting rings 4| engaging either of the contact bars 45 or 46 there will be a circuit completed to the electrical apparatus 81 (Figure 5) in the manner heretofore described.

In the drawings and specification, there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

I claim:

1. Irre ularity detecting apparatus for web and strand material comprising a web support over which web and strand material is adapted to pass in one direction, a ring support disposed above and in spaced parallel relation to the web support, means on the web support for holding the ring support in a predetermined spaced relation to the web support, said ring support also being disposed rearwardly of the web support with respect to the direction of travel of the material as it passes over the web support, a plurality of metallic detecting rings loosely mounted on the ring support and adapted to rest on the upper surface of the material, a fixed contact bar disposed in spaced relation between the outer surface of the ring support and the inner surface of the rings mounted thereon while the rings are supported by the material, said contact bar being so position d that, upon the occurrence of an abnormally thin place in the material, any metallic contact ring disposed in the path of said thin place will move downwardly into engagement with the contact bar while remaining in engagement with the ring support to serve as an electrical conductor therebetween.

2. Apparatus for detecting irregularities in web and strand material comprising a web support over which said material is adapted to pass in one direction, a ring support, means for holding the ring support in predetermined spaced relation to the web support, a plurality of metallic rings loosely mounted on the ring support and a plurality of circularly spaced contact means carried by the ring support and insulated from the ring support, each of said contact means extending in spaced relation between the ring support and the rings carried by the ring support whereby the rings may rest on said material as the material moves in engagement therewith and, upon the occurrence of an irregularity in the material, the inner surface of any of the rings disposed in the path of the irregularity will move into engagement with one of the contact means to serve as a conductor between the latter contact means and the ring support.

3. Apparatus for detecting irregularities in web .and strand material comprising a web support accepts 7 over which said material is adapted to pass in one direction, a ring support, means for holding the ring support in predetermined spaced relation to the web support, a, plurality of metallic rings loosely mounted on the ring support and at least two circularly spaced contact means carried by the ring support and insulated from the ring support, each of said contact means extending in spaced relation between the ring support and the rings carried by the ring support whereby the rings may rest on said material as the material moves in engagement therewith and, upon the occurrence of an irregularity in the material, the inner surface of any of the rings disposed in the path of the irregularity will move into engagement with one of the contact means to serve as a conductor between the, latter contact means and the ring support, said means for holding the ring support in predetermined spaced relation to the web support comprising means for swingably supporting the ring support so the lower surface of the ring support will be disposed in a lower horizontal plane than the upper surface or" the web support and at least one eccentric collar mounted for adjustment about the web support and against which the ring support rests for determining the space between the web support and the ring support and controlling the sensiti' ity of the metallic rings in response to irregularities in said material.

l. Apparatus for detecting the presence of thickened. places in strand and web material comprising a web support, a detecting ring support spaced above the web support and their axes being in substantially parallel relation to each other, at least one metallic detecting ring loosely and swingably mounted on said ring support and adapted to ride in engagement with the upper surface of the material, the inner diameter of said metallic detecting ring being substantially greater than the outside diameter of the ring support, and electrical contact means extending between the ring support and the metallic ring, whereby, upon a thickened place passing over said web support and engaging the metallic, ring depending from said ring support, the metallic ring will be elevated slightly to move the same into engagement with the contact means to serve as an electrical conductor between the contact means and the ring support.

5. Apparatus for detecting irregularities in web, and strand material comprising a web support over which said material is adapted to pass in one direction, a metallic ring support disposed at a higher elevation than the web support, means for holding the ring support in spaced relation to the web support, at least one metallic detecting ring loosely mounted on the ring support, said material being adapted to move in engagement with the detecting ring and to partially displace the detecting ring, a first metallic contact member insulatably secured to the ring support and extending in spaced relation between the ring support and the detecting ring, a second metallic contact member extending in spaced relation between the ring and the ring support, means adjustably and insulatably securing the second metallic contact member to the ring support and means for adjusting the ring support about itsaxis whereby thefirst and second metallic contact members may be adjusted relative to each other about the axis of the ring support and the ring support may be adjusted about its axis to also adjust the position of the first and second metallic contact members about the axis of theringsupport. without changing the relative positions or:

the first and the second metallic contact mem-- bers with respect to each other, whereby, upon the occurrence of an irregularity in the material, the inner surface of the ring disposed in the path of the irregularity will move into engagement with either of the metallic contact members to serve as a conductor between the corresponding contact member and the ring support.

6. In an apparatus for inspecting and detecting irregularities in web and strand material having a web support over which the material may pass, a detecting ring support disposed above and in spaced parallel relation to the web support, a plurality of metallic detecting rings loosely mounted on said ring support and from which the rings may depend, said rings normally resting in engagement with the material passing over the web support, at least one electrical contact member insulatably secured to the ring support and surrounded by said rings, and the interior surfaces of said rings normally being spaced apart from the electrical contact member whereby, upon a projection in the material passing over said web support, said projection will engage any metallic ring disposed in its path of travel to elevate the latter metallic ring so as to cause the inner surface of the same to en age the contact member disposed thereabove' while said metallic detecting ring is in engagement with the ring support to thus complete a circuit between the electrical contact member and the ring support.

7. Apparatus for detecting irregularities in web and strand material comprising a ring support, at least one metallic ring loosely encircling the ring support, the inner diameter of the metallic ring being substantially greater than the outside diameter of the ring support, means for moving said material past and in engagement with the metallic ring so as to partially displace the-ring, and at least two circularly spaced electrical contact means disposed in closely spaced relation to the ring and extending in spaced relation between the ring and the ring support,

' whereby, upon an irregularity in said material passing said ring, the ring will move into engagement with one of the contact means to serve as a conductor between the ring support and the corresponding electrical contact means.

3. Apparatus for detecting irregularities in web and strand material comprising a ring sup.- port, at least one metallic ring loosely encircling the ring support, the inner diameter of the metallic ring being substantially greater than the outside diameter of the ring support, means for moving said material past and in engagement with the metallic ring so as to partially displace the ring, at least two circularly spaced electrical contact means disposed in closely spaced relation to the ring and extending in spaced relation between the ring and the ring support, whereby, upon an irregularity in said material passing said ring, the ring will move into engagement with one of the contact means to serve as a conductor between the ring support and the corresponding electrical contact means, each of said electrical contact means being insulatably secured to the ring support and means for adjusting the ring support about its axis to change the positions of the electrical contact means relative to the metallic ringso as to control the sensitivity of the apparatus in detecting the occurrence of irregularities in the material.

9. Apparatus for detecting irregularities in web and strand material comprising'a web support over which said material is adapted to pass in one direction, a metallic ring support disposed at a higher elevation than the web support, means for holding the rin support in spaced re lation to the web support, at least one metallic detecting ring loosely encircling the ring support, the inner diameter of the ring being substantially greater than the outside diameter of the ring support, said material being adapted to move in engagement with the detecting rin and to partially displace the detecting ring, and at least one metallic contact member insulatably secured to the ring support and extending in spaced relation between the ring support and the detecting ring, whereby, upon the occurrence of an abnormally thick place in the material, the

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 567,262 Child Sept. 8, 1896 701,248 Bannon May 2'7, 1902 1,068,573 Dear July 29, 1913 1,149,018 Beregh Aug. 3, 1915 

